Veterans plates can be had by all

This is a regular plate, of course. (Honk couldn't find a photo of the veterans' plate that has become one saying, "Honoring Veterans.")

Q. In 1991, I ordered veteran license plates for my car. Last April, I bought a new Jeep and turned in my vet plate for refurbishing.Ã¯Â¿Â½ When I received it back from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the wording had changed. Instead of "Veteran," it says "Honoring Veterans." I called the DMV and talked to a tech, and she hung up on me. How can I get my plate back to saying "Veteran"? Anyone can honor a veteran, but not anyone can be a veteran. My plate is due in January. If I can't have "Veteran" back on my plate, then I will turn it in and cancel it.

– Hal Fowler, Anaheim

A. When Honk read your question to Jessica Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the DMV, she audibly cringed when hearing about your poor treatment by her agency.

She told Honk that the Purple Heart license plate does takes documentation showing that the applicant was indeed injured in a war and the fee is waived. But many of the other specialized plates – including the one like yours for vets – do not.

The DMV approves specialized plates but does not create them. So when the California Department of Veterans Affairs, along with another vet group, requested in the fall that the plate be changed, the DMV did so.

Gonzalez said that the groups sought the change "in the hope the refreshed version would help clear up a public misconception the plates were only available to veterans and therefore encourage more sales."

The extra $30 a year is distributed by the California Department of Veterans Affairs for veteran services.

Q. Could you ask Caltrans what in the world it is doing in regard to the westbound 91 Freeway, especially between State College Boulevard and Brookhurst Street? There are large, rectangular blocks of concrete that have been replaced. I am assuming they are trying to improve the road, but now it is like a washboard. I drive a truck. It just shakes, rattles and rolls there. Are they going to smooth this out?

– Tom Miller, Buena Park

A. Well, Tom, keep a lid on your coffee and don't set anything on your dash for a while.

Yes, that stretched will be smoothed out at some point. But ...

"There is no set timetable for the grinding, as the contractor will normally evaluate and wait to do a long stretch of grinding rather than in shorter bursts (more efficient),"said Gloria Roberts, a Caltrans spokeswoman.

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